Content Types

To submit one of the following content types, please read the formatting details below, then follow the submission guidelines:

  • Article
  • Review Article*
  • Perspective*
  • Comment*
  • Correspondence*
  • Matters Arising — please see detailed information about this content type.

For more information on submitting these content types, please contact Nature Biomedical Engineering.

  • News & Views*

* These content types should not include original (previously unpublished) results or data and may only contain minimal new supporting research findings. These non-primary articles are not eligible for Open Access and can only be published using the subscription-based publishing route.

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Article

Nature Biomedical Engineering publishes original research in one format: Article. An Article is a report of a novel research study of outstanding significance.

In Articles, the abstract should contain a brief account of the background and rationale of the work, followed by a statement of the main conclusions introduced by the phrase "Here, we show" or some equivalent. An introduction (without heading) of referenced text expands on the background of the work, and is followed by a concise, focused account of the findings and their analysis. The results and their discussion can be divided in two sections (under the headings 'Results' and 'Discussion'), or organized in several non-nested sections. Section headings should not exceed 60 characters, including spaces. An 'Outlook' section can be added after Discussion and before Methods. The reference list should be ordered according to citation numbers first appearing in the main text, tables and figure captions, in this order.

Articles are peer-reviewed.

Format

  • Title — up to 130 characters, including spaces.
  • Abstract — up to 175 words, unreferenced.
  • Main text — up to 3,500 words, excluding abstract, Methods, references, and figure and table legends.
  • Display items — up to 8 items (figures and/or tables).
  • Articles should be divided as follows:
    • Introduction (without heading) 
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Online Methods. ​
    • Acknowledgements
    • Author contributions
    • Competing interests
  • Results and Methods should be divided by one-level subheadings (nested subheadings are not allowed); the Discussion does not typically contain subheadings.
  • References — as a guideline, we typically recommend up to 50.
  • Articles include received and accepted dates.
  • Articles may be accompanied by Extended Data figures, Source Data, and additional supplementary information.

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Review Article

​​A Review Article is an authoritative and balanced survey of recent developments in a research field. Review Articles should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field, yet should be written with a view to informing non-specialist readers. Hence, Review Articles should be written using simple prose, avoiding excessive jargon and technical detail. Their scope should be broad enough so that it is not dominated by the work of selected research institutions or by the authors' own work.

In Review Articles, the text should be organized in several sections, with section headings not exceeding 60 characters, including spaces. One-level subheadings can be included. An 'Outlook' section can be added at the end of the main text, which should be followed by the following sections: References, Acknowledgements, Author Contributions and Competing interests. The reference list should be ordered according to citation numbers first appearing in the main text, tables, figure captions and boxes, in this order.

Review Articles are typically commissioned and line-edited by the editors. Unsolicited contributions can be considered, yet before preparing a manuscript for formal submission it is advisable to submit a synopsis of about 1,000 words with references and figures as a Presubmission enquiry.

Review Articles are peer-reviewed.

Format

  • Title — up to 130 characters, including spaces.
  • Abstract — up to 175 words, unreferenced.
  • Main text — 4,000–8,000 words, excluding abstract, references, boxes, and figure and table legends.
  • Up to 8 display items (figures, tables and/or boxes).
  • References — up to 150. Footnotes are not used.
  • Citations — these should be selective and, in the case of particularly important studies (less than 10% of all the references), we encourage authors to provide short annotations explaining why these are key contributions.
  • Review Articles include received and accepted dates. 

Exceptions to word-count limits and to the maximum number of references can be granted by the Editor on a case-by-case basis.

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Perspective

A Perspective discusses recently published findings and ideas from the authors’ viewpoint. Perspectives are more forward-looking or speculative than Review Articles, and may take a narrower field of view. They may be opinionated, yet should remain balanced. As with Review Articles, Perspectives should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field, and should be written with a view to informing non-specialist readers. Hence, Perspectives should be presented using simple prose, avoiding excessive jargon and technical detail. Their scope should be broad enough so that it is not dominated by the work of selected research institutions or by the authors' own work.

Perspectives follow the same formatting guidelines as Review Articles. The text should be organized in several sections, with section headings not exceeding 60 characters, including spaces. One-level subheadings can be included. An 'Outlook' section can be added at the end of the main text, which should be followed by the following sections: References, Acknowledgements, Author Contributions and Competing interests. The reference list should be ordered according to citation numbers first appearing in the main text, tables, figure captions and boxes, in this order.

Perspectives are typically commissioned and line-edited by the editors. Unsolicited contributions can be considered, yet before preparing a manuscript for formal submission it is advisable to submit a synopsis of about 1,000 words with references and figures as a Presubmission enquiry.

Perspectives are peer-reviewed.

Format

  • Title — up to 130 characters, including spaces.
  • Abstract — up to 175 words, unreferenced.
  • Main text — 4,000–8,000 words, excluding abstract, references, boxes, and figure and table legends.
  • Up to 8 display items (figures, tables and/or boxes).
  • References — up to 150. Footnotes are not used.
  • Citations — these should be selective and, in the case of particularly important studies (less than 10% of all the references), we encourage authors to provide short annotations explaining why these are key contributions.
  • Perspectives include received and accepted dates.

Exceptions to word-count limits and to the maximum number of references can be granted by the Editor on a case-by-case basis.

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Comment

A Comment can focus on purely scientific topics, or on clinical, policy or societal issues of interest to the biomedical engineering community. Comments may involve a substantial amount of opinion, and hence contributions with few authors are preferred. They should be of immediate interest to a broad readership and be written in an accessible style. The inclusion of figures is encouraged.

Comments do not typically contain primary research data, yet they may include sociological data (such as funding trends, demographics, or bibliographic data). They can be accompanied by supplementary information.

Comments are typically commissioned and line-edited by the editors. Unsolicited contributions can be considered, yet before preparing a manuscript for formal submission it is advisable to submit a synopsis of about 300 words as a Presubmission enquiry.

Comments may be peer-reviewed at the Editor's discretion.

Format

  • Title — up to 60 characters, including spaces.
  • Subtitle — up to 250 characters, including spaces. Comments do not have abstracts.
  • Main text — typically up to 2,500 words, excluding abstract, references, and figure and table legends.
  • Up to 4 display items (figures and or tables).
  • References should be used sparingly – up to 15.
     

Exceptions to word-count limits and to the maximum number of references can be granted by the Editor on a case-by-case basis.

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Correspondence

Correspondences discuss issues relevant to a broad slice of the biomedical engineering community. Correspondences are not technical comments on peer-reviewed research papers, which would be considered Matters Arising, and cannot be used to present original research.

Correspondences may be peer-reviewed at the Editor’s discretion. 

Format

  • Main text — 300–800 words.
  • Only one display item is allowed.
  • References — up to 10. Article titles (yet not book titles) are omitted from the reference list.

Exceptions to word-count limits and to the maximum number of references can be granted by the Editor on a case-by-case basis.

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Matters Arising

Matters Arising are exceptionally interesting and timely scientific comments and clarifications on original research papers published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Matters Arising should ideally be based on knowledge contemporaneous with the original paper, rather than on subsequent scientific developments.

Matters Arising are typically no longer than 1,200 words, and can include up to two display items (figures and/or tables) and, as a guideline, up to 15 references. Methods and additional figures and text can be provided as supplementary information.

For detailed information on how to submit a Matters Arising, please see here.

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News & Views

News & Views discuss latest advances of interest to the biomedical engineering community. They may be linked to articles in Nature Biomedical Engineering, or they may focus on papers of exceptional significance that have been published elsewhere. News & Views place research findings into a broader context, and should be written in a manner readily accessible to non-specialists. Personal viewpoints, criticisms and predictions are encouraged.

News & Views are typically no longer than 1,500 words, and include one or two figures and up to 15 references. Titles of papers (yet not of books) are omitted from the reference list.

News & Views articles are typically commissioned and line-edited by the editors. Because they are typically published at the same time as the article(s) discussed, or shortly thereafter, unsolicited contributions are rarely considered.

News & Views are not peer reviewed.